The personal cars of the paultan.org crew in 2020

So here we are. Six years after we first showed you the cars us writers actually owned, we’ve decided to revive the feature with an all-new lineup. We’ve been toying with the idea for years, as we welcomed new members to our family and acquired new metal, but we never got around to doing it. Until now, that is.

And what a time to bring it back. As has probably become obvious by now, the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing movement control order have impacted our ability to drive new cars, so we couldn’t rely on our traditional Top Five list to close out the year. So we thought we’d provide some new reading material that’s a bit interesting and left-field, just to take your mind off the doom and gloom of this annus horribilis.

Much has changed at paultan.org in the intervening years. We’ve seen the departures of Gregory Sze and Jonathan James Tan and welcomed new talents in the form of Gerard Lye, Mick Chan and Matthew Tong. We have also ventured in the realm of two wheels with the addition of our motorcycle editor Mohan Ramanujam, while our video production has grown from strength to strength.

This year also saw a new member join the team – our social media manager Jordan Marc Xavier, who provides some much-needed help in growing our presence on Facebook and Instagram. Jordan’s addition to the fold is one of the many steps we’ve taken to foster greater interaction with you, our dear readers.

As you’d expect, all this means that there are lots of new (to us, anyway) vehicles here. The range of brands on offer may not be quite so varied this year – we’ve got three Mercedes-Benzes on the list, so perhaps we can volunteer for jury duty together after all. But the lineup itself is no less interesting, with three coupés, three hatchbacks, a luxo-barge and two true-blue sports cars.

The format is pretty much the same as before. We’ll talk about our cars and what makes them so special, and just to throw a little spice into the mix, each writer will also drive another’s car and give their own impressions. And as before, we drew lots to decide who drives what, leading to some amusing pairings. Hopefully, this will give you a rare insight into who we are, both as impartial motoring journalists and as dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiasts. Without further ado, here are the personal cars of the paultan.org crew. Have a happy new year.

Gerard Lye’s 2013 Subaru BRZ R

A perfect example of kena racun, my Subaru BRZ is the result of Anthony casually showing me an advertisement on August 16, 2018. What started out with the usual comments of “nice car,” “good condition,” “it’s a manual!” and “the price looks tempting” led to Danny and I heading out to meet the owner for a test drive, and by the evening, a deposit was made. After a few weeks of getting the paperwork in order and bidding goodbye to my previous daily driver, a 2015 Mazda 2, I finally got the key to my first sports car!

Fast forward two years and the novelty has still not worn off, although it is anything but perfect. The back seats are merely suggestions, the boot aperture is abysmal (although there’s quite a bit of storage space with the rear seat backrest folded down), the trim pieces rattle given the car’s age (it’s more than seven years old now), there’s no hill hold assist to help out at steep inclines, and new passengers will need to learn how to enter the car gracefully. Not the best choice for a daily, right?

In spite of all that, I enjoy driving it on the regular, be it for the daily trip out for meals, to my local Aeon Big for groceries, anything. It’s a very engaging car to drive, with every turn of the wheel and gear change bringing a strong sense of satisfaction and tactile response.

You don’t have to be constantly “on it” to have a good time, as simply pottering around at normal speeds is rewarding itself. However, when the mood sets in and you do want to do a spot of “spirited driving,” it’s more than happy to oblige.

Yes, the 2.0 litre NA boxer engine isn’t the most powerful and you have to work it closer to the top end to get a move on (insert torque dip mentions here), but there’s just enough that you still get thrilled and not scared to death. I’ve yet to take the car out to an autocross or track session but it’s something I’m looking forward to – albeit with some restraint – when the current condition improves.

A relatively modern, manual, rear-wheel-drive sports car that isn’t crazy in terms of pricing? This is it.

This could have been Danny’s Subaru BRZ. OK, so maybe I wouldn’t have acted on the “you better buy it, if not I’ll do it” threat; it was more a push in Gerard’s back for him to take the leap. Actually, I needn’t have worried – the car was stock, the deal was good and our lad was in love.

The Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ is a great driver’s car. It was also an unlikely car from an unlikely company in Toyota back in 2012. The auto scene wasn’t so set on electric then, but sports cars weren’t a thing. Money was, and sports cars aren’t good for making money.

Thankfully, Akio Toyoda is a car guy like you and me. It has modern safety and amenities, but the Toyobaru is a throwback. Simple in concept, pure in execution, it ticks so many enthusiast boxes – nice RWD handling, mechanical everything and a buffet of aftermarket parts, among other good things.

Fab car, but I can’t imagine driving it day in, day out. Hands up, I’m not car guy enough to daily this BRZ with its stiff STI suspension and permanently vibrating gear stick, but G is, so it’s a match made in car heaven. – Danny Tan

Anthony Lim’s 2011 Ford Fiesta XTR Sapphire

This was never on the cards, the ownership that shouldn’t have been, because the real fixation was somewhere else, in this case the Mk3 Focus, which had just popped up on the scene at that point. Unfortunately, that wasn’t due on the horizon here yet, and with some wheels needed to replace the Mk1 Focus, this came to be, cemented by a thoroughly positive opening gambit from the media drive.

While the novelty of XTR Car Zero – and being the only car with blue fabric seats here – played its part, the trademark Ford handling sealed that deal, with no shortage of communication from the little tyke’s chassis evident at first try. Actually, in that regard, nothing much has changed in the nearly 10 years since it first arrived. Despite being relegated to being the go-to car when an automatic is needed, the ride and handling remain engaging, a joy for what it is.

The same cannot be said about the DCT250 gearbox, which has been anything but that which was promised, and which is why the Focus ST eventually became the primary muse. Manual, you see. In any case, I’ve come to live with ShudderShift, and the pedal style has been adapted fully to manage the aspects of that quirky, rather nonsensical gearbox. That the car is still plying about has been down to only one thing, its reliability.

Er, yes, that’s the right word. Those horror stories you’ve heard about? Never happened to me. Sure, the clutch pack isn’t the one that was shipped with the car (it was changed preemptively, under warranty), but the replacement – and I am touching plenty of wood on the table as I type this – has soldiered on without signs of collapsing on itself. The cost of running the car has also been low. A set of shocks, timing belt, a set of tyres has been it so far, going into a decade.

The guys will no doubt point to the low mileage (just over 63k km on the clock) as the reason for the lack of gremlins, but age is age, I say. If you’re the sort to believe that cars are sentient, then I put this down to my charm that the Fiesta’s fidelity has been steadfast, its love for me unwavering. despite it being quite one-sided at times. An absolute trooper, and then some, I wouldn’t change it for the world. OK, the DPS6 for an IB5 five-speed manual, perhaps.

Why so blue, Anthony? Now, I do like a splash of colour in car interiors, but this one is a little extreme. It makes Will Smith in full Genie makeup look colourless. If Doctor Manhattan and Mystique ever had a car together, I assume it would look something like this. I feel like I should feed it with cookies or gold rings instead of fuel. Something about the Smurfs. I could go on, but you get what I mean.

Jokes aside, I remember the Fiesta very fondly from way back in 2010. Danny, Anthony and I worked for different publications then, and we all swooned over the little car’s cute looks and peppy character at a press drive in Thailand. Anthony bought one for himself and Danny came real close to joining him.

Me, I spoke so highly of it that my own brother bought one. A few TCUs and clutch packs later though, I doubt he’d even take my food recommendations seriously anymore. It has long left our family garage, never to be spoken of again.

I do get why Anthony is still persevering with his. The PowerShift gearbox may feel like it’s controlled by an over-eager teenage driver (holds on to gears up to 3,500 rpm even when pootling around the car park, downshifts at every twitch of the right foot), but it’s still a sweet, sweet steer. You’d need a Porsche to get a sharper steering.

But honestly, Anthony, it’s time to let it go, buddy. Mustang V8s are getting cheaper by the day, sure, but you’re not getting any younger either. YOLO! – Hafriz Shah

Hafriz Shah’s 2018 Mercedes-Benz C 200 AMG Line Coupé

Man, a lot has changed since we last did this in 2014. The Fiat Bravo I featured back then is now long gone (don’t ask me how much I got for it – I should have listened to Sam Loo), and so is its replacement, a Peugeot 208 GTi I got in 2015. After the Bravo, I swore off having any more out-of-warranty cars, so off went the GTi as soon as it turned five, with a new Proton X50 SUV now taking its place.

I was also lucky enough to have had a W205 Mercedes-Benz C 300 serving as my daily from 2016 to 2019, now succeeded by the C205 Mercedes-Benz C 200 Coupé facelift you see here. The move to a coupé was a big one – I do miss having a red interior and usable rear seats, but not so much the scratch/watermark-prone black paint job. Oh, the things we have to learn the hard way.

Of the C Coupé, I absolutely adore its looks and unique designo Hyacinth Red Metallic paint job. Less appreciated are the silly non-touchscreen Apple CarPlay integration and the lack of an external boot release. The long doors make getting in and out in tight parking spots a pain too, but I do look back every time I walk away from it, so I guess it’s all well worth it.

Does it feel like a downgrade from the C 300? In most ways, no. I’m a very calm driver (most of the time, anyway), so, to be frank, I don’t really notice the weaker performance, however significant it may appear on paper – 0-100 km/h up from 5.9 to 7.8 seconds. The EQ Boost-assisted low-end torque is lovely too.

Being a base-variant coupé with a tiny 1.5 litre engine matched to a full AMG Line kit, many will see it as an all show and no go kind of car. That, it may well be, but really, apa aku kisah, bro?

Happy new year, everyone!

Even if one is not at all about the show, this car’s cabin alone is possibly worth the price of admission. The crisp digital screens, open-pore wood trim as part of its current Mercedes-Benz interior design come together to make A Very Nice Place To Be. The telescoping seat belt ‘butler’, to this day, I find fascinating. We’ve not even turned a wheel yet…

The pleasantness continues when we do, I’m happy to find, and I concur with Hafriz’s finding that the on-paper modesty of its numbers doesn’t matter nearly as much when you’re on the move in it. The traits of a modern, upmarket German car are present here as you’d expect – steering is light and easy around town, whilst feeling stable as a brick house at a motorway canter.

It would have filled out its arches a little more with the 19-inch wheels of its flashier siblings, but the set of 18-inch rollers on this example is the wiser, more practical choice anyway, especially when crossing those wretched red transverse strips we seem to increasingly find on our highways. Here, bump absorption and body control felt well judged, and suitably calm to suit the car’s overall relaxing demeanour.

And once disembarked, one gets to take in the sight of its svelte shape again, which got me thinking: if yours is a sufficiently provisioned household of two adults and no kids – furry or otherwise – and you have no need to ferry outsized and oddly shaped cargo, do you need more car than this? – Mick Chan

Danny Tan’s 1990 Toyota MR2

They wouldn’t let me bring my Myvi, I don’t know why. Widely regarded by Malaysians as the King of the Road, it’s fast (don’t laugh, just look up the vids), and mine is a third-gen manual (surely rarer than a Ferrari) in an exotic colour (discontinued now, collector’s item). Surely all you enthusiasts would love to see such a car here, no?

Anyway, to the piece of old metal they wanted. With Gazoo Racing, Toyota may be quite cool in the eyes of the driving man these days, but the last time they were cool was back in the late 80s and 90s – just imagine the T180 Celica (remember the Castrol rally car?), MR2 and A80 Supra sharing one showroom floor.

Like most lads born in the 80s, I had the Countach, Testarossa and Porsche 959 on the wall, but it was a new wave of slinky Japanese cars that left the biggest imprint on my young mind. When dad brought me to my first ever KL motor show in 1990 (or was it 1991?), the sight of the NA Mazda MX-5, SW20 Toyota MR2 and the original Honda NSX – all fresh then – was Japan giving me a permanent car tattoo.

So when the opportunity presented itself, I had to do it, more so as it was the second chance I had with this particular example, a manual NA Rev 1. Apart from the wheels (JDM fans, guess) and driving touchpoints, it’s the same car I saw at PWTC as a kid.

The reason why I’ve not talked about how the MR2 drives is simple. I didn’t buy it for its driving qualities (I’m sure Gerard will focus on that), but for how it looks. The SW20 reminds me of the Ferrari F355 – to me, the most beautiful car ever made – and I stop and stare every single day while walking to my daily ride.

Yes, the drive experience is interesting, but the dream was formed way before I knew how to drive.

Going from what is a relatively modern sports car to something that was produced the year I was born was certainly an intimidating experience. Unlike my car, there’s very little safety net in case you mess up – there is ABS though – and the MR2 has a notorious reputation for snap oversteer.

As such, ensuring I don’t park my colleague’s prized possession into a tree was riding on my mind the entire time I was behind the wheel, but what an experience it was! Raw and visceral, the MR2’s steering was a lot more direct than what I was familiar with, and the shove from the 3S-GE is certainly more than sufficient – I can’t imagine what the turbo version would feel like.

An aftermarket exhaust also gave the engine nice vocals, although you’ll still hear plenty of it given it was located right behind my left ear. A few minutes in the car and I started to notice the other aspects of the car, including a seating position that takes a few adjustments to get right, the nicely-spaced pedals and lovely Momo steering wheel. It’s often said that “they don’t make things like the used to,” and here’s a good example of that. It’s no Ferrari 355, but I get the need for association. – Gerard Lye

Matthew H. Tong’s 2014 Peugeot RCZ THP 200

The Peugeot RCZ has always struck me as an incredibly gorgeous car. Too much has already been said about the way it looks, and in the four months since it came into my possession, I’ve probably spent more hours running my eyes and hands (I wash it once, if not twice every week) through its bodacious curves than actually driving it. Let’s be clear, this is only because of the movement control order.

“If I could have a Peugeot, I’d have the RCZ,” I told my then-girlfriend (now fiancé) the first time I saw it parked at her place. Like most guys who are “testing the waters,“ the idea was shot down because a coupé is hardly practical, she argued, plus the Zedd didn’t really appeal to her. Curiously, she’s more acceptive of the Lotus Elise, but that’s because I made it clear that it was, and still is my dream sports car.

Keen-eyed readers can immediately tell that this Pearl White example is the rarer facelift model, and a manual one at that. Gearshifts are delightfully tractable and precise – I had never once slipped into the wrong gate, and the clutch action is as forgiving as Hafriz’s old 208 GTi, if only a little stiffer.

This ease of use – coupled with the handsome suit – truly belies its sporting credentials. The six-speed close ratio gearbox will gladly let you wring all 200 horses and 275 Nm of torque, and the rather rorty, if slightly artificial soundtrack that accompanies your journey to the 6,000-rpm redline is just icing on the cake. It’s also deceptively grippy, plus the highly communicable wheel makes spirited drives all the more gratifying.

I’ve been asked on a few occasions: “Why did you buy the RCZ? Aren’t French cars a nightmare to keep in the long run?” The short of it is, I didn’t actually buy it.

It’s akin to a boy’s wildest dream come true, like having Santa Claus appear on Christmas Day with a gift you’ve secretly longed for in hand. And like most real life encounters with Santa, the gifter is usually the parents, or in my case, the soon-to-be father-in-law.

I don’t know what good I’ve done in this life to deserve a gesture of such extraordinary proportions. But more importantly, how does one repay a deed like this? I hope to find the answer one day. For now, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, pops.

Having experienced this engine and gearbox in Hafriz’s old 208 GTi, I entered this svelte coupé thinking I knew what to expect. Sure enough, the turbocharged Prince mill availed itself to me readily with its immensely tractable nature, and its manual shifter, while a bit long in throw, was decently precise, making it a joy to row and harness the powerplant’s oomph.

But while the GTi wrapped the oily bits in a cheeky, diminutive red body, the RCZ was a whole other car entirely. Peugeot managed to take the first-gen 308’s ungainly mug and somehow design an achingly gorgeous car around it, while the interior was almost Ferrari-like with its full leather wrap. Ensconced inside with the sweeping roof and the slightly firm ride, the RCZ felt rather exciting, even at low speeds.

What was most surprising, however, was the refinement that masked the car’s true pace. Twice I looked down at the speedometer to find that I was a good 10 to 20 km/h over the speed limit (it wasn’t intentional, Matt, promise). I imagine it would make a very good grand tourer.

All this is before you take into account the hunk of a man that is the owner, whose biceps have been honed to within an inch of their lives. You should have seen Matt rock up to the shoot, stepping out of the fighter jet-like double-bubble cockpit in his sunnies looking every inch the Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Top lad. – Jonathan Lee

Mick Chan’s 2015 Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactiv-G

The selection process that arrived at taking ownership of this car was a fairly short one. Just before this car, I briefly had the joy of having fully paid off the hire purchase on my second-generation Ford Focus 1.8 sedan, until I realised I was starting to spend nearly the same monthly sums again on workshop visits.

By that point, I had, like Hafriz, tired of the upkeep of an out-of-warranty car, so the Focus had to go, sweet handling regardless. The B-segment was going to be my ballpark, and so I drew up a checklist to whittle down the potential factory-fresh candidates. Torque converter, naturally aspirated engine, hatchback body, check, check, and check.

Funny how some details pushed it past the tipping point for purchase; that large, central tachometer and the right-way-round shifter orientation of push-to-downshift, pull-to-upshift was the icing on this Thai-baked Japanese cupcake. Later on in comparable cars without, I realised how much I missed a left footrest, which the Mazda has. Little things.

Shortcomings? Cabin space is one; the centre console eats into room for the driver’s left leg if you are 178 cm tall and prefer a closer reach to the pedals, and its 220-litre boot is smaller than the 260-litre space in the Axia, not to mention an upwards sloping window line that makes for cosier rear quarters than the Perodua. However, ours is a two-person household and the rear seats tend to be for just groceries anyway.

Secondary ride is another, which admittedly isn’t helped by my preferred tyre pressures of 36 psi in front and 35 psi at the rear, which I personally found to give the most even tyre wear. Give it space to move around, and the niggles in daily driving melt away.

On the two occasions I’ve had it on gymkhana-type grounds, 36 psi for the rears was just the ticket; that little bit more up on its toes, and even sharper turn in. Lovely throttle that can be toggled into a Sport mode, but never artificially sharp. Its drinking habit? About 8.0 litres per 100 km if I cane it around town, or mid-fives on empty Sunday night highways. Happy times.

When Mick handed me the keys to his Mazda 2, he started going through a list of things that both worked and didn’t work in the car, including a blank speedometer and having to get speed readout from the HUD display. HUD display? Is this some sort of fighter plane.

As it turns out, there are enough electronics in the car to put one in mind of such. Getting in, I am reminded that modern cars do their job efficiently well, but lack a certain je ne sais quoi. Riding motorcycles as I do on a daily basis, the engagement between machine and rider is immediate and necessary. Failure to do so results in a short, but interesting life.

Sitting in the Mazda, however, is like getting into one of those transport capsules in a science-fiction movie, everything is comfortable and designed to serve humans in the most efficient manner possible. And therein lies the rub. The Mazda was comfortable, it had power, it braked, it went round corners.

It was efficient. Not soulless, per se, but efficient. But in modern times, when time is considered to be at a premium, having a car like this is not a bad thing. While many, especially in auto and moto journalism, talk about “the experience” and “the good old days” of manual shifting and double-declutching, there is a sensibility that dictates the most efficient solution is usually the best.

After all, who wants a car that spends more time in the workshop than on the road? With that, I wish you a great year ahead and miles of happy motoring. – Mohan Ramanujam

Mohan K. Ramanujam 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE

Perhaps the most recognisable symbol of the 80s, when the New York Mafia dons were riding high and various Middle Eastern dictators ruled over the fiefdoms with an iron fist, the W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is something of an evergreen design. Penned by Bruno Sacco, the straight lines and balanced proportions pf the W126 exude a sense of timelessness and elegance, and, at the time, was very much a rival to Rolls Royce but one with a sense of practicality.

But what is a motorcycle rider doing with one of these tanks? Back in the early ’80s, the W126 S-Class was a prominent feature in the driveways of high-end Malaysian hotels and as a teenager, I was always impressed by the hunk of Teutonic engineering. Moving on four decades, a succession of Mercedes moved in and out of the stable, and the W126 now has a second go of keeping a rider enamoured of its charm.

And there’s a lot of charm is driving this particular example from the very last CKD production year in Malaysia. Still wearing its original paint, this W126 started life as a corporate conveyance for a captain of industry, before going into private ownership for the next 18 years and eventually ending up in my hands.

All the late ’80s accoutrements are there, including that anachronism in these days of healthy living, cigarette lighters in the rear passenger door ashtrays. The ride, in the words of colleague Anthony Lim, is still remarkably good for an ’80s vehicle. Engine power is adequate and once on the highway in fourth, little else matches it for the ride and roll-on power.

For someone who gets his kicks chucking a motorcycle at 150 km/h into corners, the W126 S-Class is the very antithesis of my being. But, as was discussed on the day, it is likely that 30 years from now, this car will still be running when its current-day equivalents are long gone.

Old is gold, it is often said. Well, here’s a sliver of glitter, if not exactly an entire bar. I’ve always viewed old Mercedes-Benzes, S-Classes in particular, with a mix of trepidation and awe. The backstory behind this involves riding in a W116 belonging to an aunt when I was 10. Like Darth Vader, it was big, and it was imposing. Menacing? In every sense of the word.

Time has of course changed all that. The Sith lord is now the guy with the ridiculously large helmet, and the old S-Class, well, hasn’t just shrunken in proportions mentally, but has actually become quite appealing to the eye. The shape of the W126, in particular, has aged very well, certainly better than its successor, the W140.

The bodywork on Mohan’s example is pristine for its age and a testament to German metal, of which there is enough on the car to probably do two Fiestas, and a motorcycle to spare. And, the blue works in bringing out the captivating flow of those wonderfully sculpted lines. Shame about the plastics then, because while the Benz remains a venerable Tiger tank on the outside, the insides haven’t held up as well.

With a non-working speedometer, a missing driver power window switch and an inner door lever that looked like it was on its last legs, the fear and anxiety briefly returned as I started it up. The barge-sized and woolly steering felt alien, as did the heavy action needed for the organ pedal accelerator. But, once past the extremely slow initial take-up, I began to understand what the fuss was all about.

The ride remains supple, a shining beacon considering its age, and while the design of the seats is an antiquity of that era, they actually get quite comfortable a few miles in. The straight-six was surprisingly silky, and of note was the high degree of insulation that remains three decades in. By the time I rolled up at the destination, the demons were gone, and I felt like Gotti on his way to lunch. – Anthony Lim

Jonathan Lee’s 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK 230 Kompressor

Before you come at me with pitchforks for bringing yet another automatic car to the party, there are a few reasons why the CLK is here. First of all, I do actually own a manual daily driver – a 2013 Kia Picanto that replaced my old Hyundai Matrix – so my enthusiast credentials should still be present and correct. It’s been featured once on these pages already, so I’ve decided to let another car have its time in the sun.

Secondly, the Merc is a far more intriguing machine, having existed in my family in one way or another since 2004. We lived in Hong Kong for a brief period, and it was there that my father purchased this certified pre-owned car from an official dealer. We brought the CLK with us when we moved back to Malaysia, after which it remained in my dad’s possession (he’s a Johorean who used to work in Singapore, which explains the J plate and the ERP reader) until he handed it down to me last year.

I’ll admit, the styling of the two-door hasn’t aged particularly well. Next to modern Three-pointed Star models – especially Hafriz’s handsome C 200 Coupé – the CLK looks contrived with its mini-W210 E-Class styling. Still, at least it cuts a distinctive figure today, resplendent in its purple, I mean, Quartz Blue paint.

The CLK also harks back to a time when Stuttgart was more focused on delivering comfort and luxury in spades, rather than chasing BMW on the dynamic front. Compared to a new Merc, mine rides softer and is more adept at rounding off the bumps. Of course, mine also doesn’t steer with anything like the precision of a new Merc, but when it’s this comfortable, who cares?

For those who don’t personally know JLee, he’s easily the single biggest maverick you’ll possibly get to meet, ever. His preferences for car designs, wheel choices, and everything of the like are frequent precursors to lengthy debacles within our circle. But unlike your typical keyboard warrior, his opinions are often well substantiated. If you’ve read his take on the bright purple CLK above, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

I’ve got to be honest, the W210 E-Class is not a looker in my book (sorry, JLee!). But it’s precisely why the car and its W208 coupé counterpart are so unmistakably distinctive even to this day, and it crucially formed the bedrock for what I think is still the best-looking E-Class to date, the W211. Those lines, my gosh, what a stunner.

Having spent the better part of RM5,000 into gearbox repairs, JLee brought much life back into this 21-year-old coupé. Though I had never driven the car prior, I have an inkling of what it would be like, for I myself have a C4 Audi 100 at home. Automatic gearboxes have certainly come a long way, and so has Mercedes-Benz, for that matter.

The 2.3 litre supercharged engine may have lost some of its verve over time, but short of the latest range of S-Classes, I can’t recall the last time I drove a Benz that rides like it’s on pillows. With what body fat percentage JLee has left from his rigorous new fitness routine, perhaps this is a far better choice than going down the Hachiroku route. – Matthew Tong

Introducing Jordan Marc Xavier and his 2017 Perodua Axia SE

To be very honest, when I first got my Perodua Axia SE back in 2017, I was a bit worried. My previous car had a rather decent 1.6 litre engine, whereas this only has a 1.0 litre mill. That aside, I’m still thankful and happy with the Axia. Fuel consumption is relatively low, and while power is almost non-existent, it’s still more than adequate for daily drives from A to B.

Throughout the years, I’ve added a few touches to make my Axia a bit more loveable. The addition of 15-inch MINI One alloys, a few trendy stickers and a red starter button cap helped add a bit more character to what I call Axiase – yes, it’s called that. In one word.

Being a part of the team, I’ll be handling the community side and will be updating you guys more and more on our social media pages which includes our Facebook group and our Instagram, @paultancars.